Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Oak leaf

(+5 insets!) Please view large, the details are worth it! :) We've been having such lovely, sunny days here that warm up to a nice, warm day…but BOY, do they start off COLD! WHOOO!!! By the time I get inside after my 30-minute tromp up and down the driveway, my hands and feet are frozen! When I get into the house I must worship the Monitor Heater God for the next 20 minutes while I thaw out again! Sheesh! I have been having such a nice time visiting all of you and catching up on your beautiful photography. It really is like going on a trip around the world, a gift to me from each of you. Sometimes you leave something to read, sometimes it's just the picture to explain itself, but always it's nice to see what you are drawn to post for me to see! :) Today's Pictures: "Caught" Oak Leaf and More! My main picture is a subject that's a total favorite of mine, the "caught" leaf. On the way down to the ground, sometimes the rare leaf will get stuck on the way. Could be a bush or branch, twigs or grass stems--you never know what might interrupt a leaf on its path. Now, you must stop and think for just a moment about the odds. How in the world can a leaf get stuck on anything? Looking more closely, it's just amazing how tenuous the hang-up spot can be. A breath of breeze might be all it needs to finish its trip to the ground. This particular White Oak leaf had me all a-gawk! As it dried up, the end of it curled up into a tube. Then it fell and somehow managed to be speared by a wild oat stem--right through that curl in the leaf! How in the WORLD could the odds have lined up to allow this miraculous capture to occur? Nearly a week ago I was walking on our road and of course this marvelous little flag caught my eye. Crouching down to take a closer look, I gasped in surprise when I noticed the leaf's curl and watched as it waved softly in the breeze. I couldn't miss out on this picture so when it warmed up I returned with my camera to capture this cool leaf. Unfortunately the breeze had kicked up in the afternoon and I was pretty annoyed to find that not a single picture turned out of the dozen I'd taken. BOO! I worried about the leaf falling but still, I waited until the next day to try again. This time, instead of a bunch of failed attempts, I got plenty of choices to pick from, yay! I'm also including a few other prizes from my wander around our property. First off, we still have flowers! It's amazing to believe anything can grow, even though it's hovering around freezing in the morning and the soil has no moisture in it. Only hardy species can survive in our extremely hot and dry summer, an autumn with very little rainfall, and then a frozen tundra until February. But here are two stunning flowers who have no problems with drought! The beautiful yellow flower with a dried flower in bokeh behind is called "Lemon Tarweed", named for the sticky resin droplets that cling to the stems and behind-leaf veins. You'll know you've touched this plant if you smell the lovely lemon scent the disturbed resin releases. The blossoms are smaller and much more scraggly than earlier blooms, but one cannot deny their delicate beauty! The lovely little white flowers are called "Rough Eyelash" and at this point the blossoms are about 2/3 the size they normally are when they bloom earlier. Next: behold a little upside-down apple! No, wait! That's a manzanita berry, and behind in bokeh you can see a leaf from this wonderful small tree/scrubby brush. I am shocked to say that I've never processed a single one of these berries in all the years we've been on this property! I can only imagine I've got loads of pictures sitting in my archives but I never got to any of them. FOR SHAME!! Such beautiful little berries! I'm including a cluster of berries too, so you can see how they usually grow together in clumps. Finally, a wad of dried-up White Oak leaves that I liked the look of, all curly with a cool texture! Thanks everyone, for your visits, comments and favorites. I'm delighted by the words that you leave and often find myself giggling or downright cackling at your remarks about spiders and such! I am equally humbled by your words of joy to see my pictures and your high regards--you are so kind and I am moved by all of your impressions. How I love you all! Please stay safe, warm, and away from nasty little buggies! Explored on 10/30/20; highest placement #5.

(please view large!) (+8 insets!) What is your favorite kind of picture to take? Are you drawn to landscapes or street photography? Do you enjoy nature photography of all types or do you prefer city-based themes? Are you a "Jack of all trades" because any type of photography is interesting to you? For me It's always been macro. Ever since I was a little kid in San Francisco, I've loved discovering tiny things. I used to love walking up our neighborhood street and turning over bricks to see what was underneath. Salamanders, ants, spiders, bugs, slugs and snails, and sometimes even centipedes. Lots of mushrooms, weird fungus and molds, it was all interesting to me. I loved finding the smallest flowers in the cracks of the sidewalk and I would collect a miniature bouquet to present to my mother with an ecstatic, "Mom, I brought you a mouse bouquet!" She loved them and put her tiny flowers into a shot glass and placed it on the kitchen table for all to see. Climbing around Mt. Davidson, which was our backyard, I spent hours exploring the different areas and learning about the countless things that grew there. Three of the things I love are tiny details, textures and abstracts. As a kid, I would hold a leaf up to my nose and just stare. The wonderful details, textures and abstracts I saw were so beautiful and fascinating to me, but it's hard to tell someone about these things. You have to show them. And still, people could rarely see what I did...that was pretty frustrating. Discovering macro photography changed everything. For the first time I could finally show everyone exactly what I was looking at! I could zero in on tiny creatures or flowers or I could show the textures of a subject. Abstracts were finally something I could photograph and allow the viewer to ponder and question. And by learning how to use a specialized macro lens, the magic of bokeh can be added into the mix for a magical touch I'd never considered as a child. A new way to explore the world...how cool is that? What adventure! What freedom! Macro photography opens the door to a universe of endless possibilities on a very small scale. That is why it's my favorite kind of photography. Today's picture is another "caught" leaf, but I think it's pretty special because it requires looking closer. It's also both a texture picture and an abstract because at first it's hard to see what it is. A few weeks ago, I was wandering around in our lower forest. At one point I looked up and noticed an Oak leaf stuck on the trunk of a Ponderosa pine tree. Did you know that pine trees can have different looking bark? That never occurred to me until I took a good look at our pine trees. Ponderosa pine bark looks like jigsaw puzzle pieces! I know you don't believe me, so please take a look at the insets so I can show you! The leaf in today's picture got stuck on one of the "puzzle pieces"! Pam, I hope that all is well with you today and that you are happy and comfortable. Give your dogs some pats from me and tell them that they're doing a great job being a good friend to you. I hope they give you lots of good energy and put a smile on your face! I am thinking of you all the time! :) Explored on 12/27/18, highest placement, #6.

Wow! How time flies! It's been three weeks since beginning this project for Pam and my life has changed so much for the better. Previously I had retreated into my shell to the point that I wasn't really communicating with anyone at all except my husband. I spent my free time playing a space game called Eve Online, where I became a "Capsuleer" and flew around a universe in my many different space ships. I mined asteroids for ore, I ferried goods across galaxies from station to station, I built ships and explored old relics, breaking codes to get precious cargo. But you see, Eve is a game where other players can actually attack and destroy your ship—and kill your character. I lived in fear when I went out on my adventures because I am not aggressive and just want to have a nice time. Unfortunately, this game is aimed at people who enjoy hunting and killing other players. A great many of them make it their mission to make non-aggressive people's lives miserable if they can. Though I stayed in an area that was generally safe, there are no guarantees, and I was always worried. Once I learned that Pam had come so close to losing her life, it shocked me back to reality. I looked at my life which had become so cold, grey and silent. My creative spirit was gone. The passion that once bubbled within me did not exist. I cared about nothing. I didn't even know who I was anymore, and it didn't matter. I wanted to show Pam that I cared about her, that I was thinking about her. As I mentioned in the first post of this project, I figured the best way to do this would be in the form of a picture along with something fun for her to read. When I realized that meant I'd actually have to pick up my camera, I was like, "NO! I'm not in the mood!" The idea of being creative felt like kryptonite to me. But I knew better and forced myself to do it. I took a picture and posted it, writing a journal entry to finish it off. The ipernity community, my old friends, acquaintances, so many people responded so warmly to welcome me back into the fold. I felt like I'd come home to a place I belonged. The suggestion to create a special Pictures for Pam group was perfect and brought everyone closer with a combined purpose to show Pam how much we care. The transformation back to my bubbly, effervescent self happened so fast that I sometimes question whether or not I'd actually sunk so low beforehand. There really is no question about it though. The important thing is that because of my desire to bring some joy to Pam, I found myself back on ipernity, and then all of you took over. You picked me up, held me high in the air and paraded me around, patting me with encouragement and showing me that I had value. That I was good for something...that I do have talent. I did not lose my ability to take nice pictures or to write well. Just as Pam has said to all of us, the care and genuine sincerity in your comments to me have left me overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. I am so thankful—but truly there isn't any way to properly express how much your caring has meant to me. Just know that my life has changed profoundly, and it has everything to do with all of you. *long, warm hugs to each of you* Today I share another leaf! To those of you who are tired of my leaves, I apologize but they are always singing to me and I cannot help but capture them for everyone to see! I found this lovely oak leaf on my walk the other day when I explored our lower forest to see what it looked like now. I'd been concentrating on where my feet were going, as I didn't want to step on anything special. At one point I looked up and BAM! Here's this leaf, cradled by pine needles and right in my face! I burst out with an excited "WOW!! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!" Part of me began to counter the idea since I am forever taking pictures of leaves, but I whacked the thought right out of my mind and wayyyyyy off into the bleachers. "NOOP! I'm taking this picture!" Pam, I hope that this has been a good week for you. I hope you can feel improvement from one week to the next. I hope your vision and energy is improving and I hope that you are comfortable and happy. We love you. Thank you for all that you have done for me...just by being you. Explored on 11/30/18, highest placement, #5.

1 more picture in a note above! :) Today I took a walk into part of our lower forest with a plan in mind. I was hoping to find the one fern plant which I know of there, and it grows on the side of the seasonal stream bed. Our lower forest looks very different than it once did, because I spent months clearing buck brush and dead trees out, piling them up into habitats for animals. Now, instead of being an impenetrable, ugly mess, the lower forest is open and beautiful, filled with Oak, Manzanita and Madrone trees. So when I found a very large, mossy tree on the ground, I was quite surprised. Following my eye down the trunk, I saw that it had broken off the base of the tree about three feet up and looked as if it had been dead for a while. I walked up to the trunk and peered inside. At first I didn't see anything but a leaf, but moving my head, the light reflected on droplets below, and straining my eyes in the dim light, I could see the droplets suspended on an invisible web! If I could get my camera to focus on the droplets, my flash would light up the scene and I thought it might just be awesome! It took me a bit of time to find focus, but eventually I was successful, and got a bunch of different apertures to choose from. I hoped that the 2.8 images would be clear because the illusion of droplets floating in the air would be just that much more cool. And...they worked out!! HOORAY!! As it turned out, I have done almost nothing to this image except cropping and adding a very slight vignette! Saul Bellow (10 June 1915 – 5 April 2005) was a Canadian-born American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the only writer to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times and he received the Foundation's lifetime Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 1990. Wiki: Saul Bellow Explored on December 31, 2013. Highest placement, page 6.